Man charged in theft of dad's corpse

In a booking photo from the Detroit Police, Vincent Bright is shown. Bright was arraigned in 36th District Court in Detroit, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. Bright is charged in the theft of his father's body from a Detroit cemetery after the corpse was discovered in a freezer in his basement. Police say Vincent Bright, 48, had hoped to bring his father back to life. Bright, of Detroit, is charged with disinterment of a body, the Wayne County prosecutor's office said Friday. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. (AP Photo/Detroit Police, HOPD)

DETROIT (AP) ó A man was charged Friday in the theft of his fatherís body from a Detroit cemetery after the corpse was discovered in a freezer in his basement.

Police say Vincent Bright, 48, had hoped to bring his father back to life.

Bright, of Detroit, is charged with disinterment of a body, the Wayne County prosecutorís office said Friday. The crime is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Bright is scheduled to make an initial court appearance on Friday afternoon in 36th District Court in Detroit.

Clarence Brightís body disappeared from the Gethsemane Cemetery on Monday morning, just hours before it was to be buried. Police arrested Bright and a 38-year-old man the following day after finding them with an empty casket in the back of their van. Officers, acting on a tip from other family members, found the corpse in Vincent Brightís home on the cityís east side.

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Police Lt. Harold Rochon told The Detroit News that the son was religious and took the body hoping for it to be miraculously resurrected. Clarence Bright was 93 years old when he died.

A message seeking information on whether he had a lawyer on record was sent to a spokeswoman for the prosecutorís office.